Tag Archives: Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is all about sweets and sweetness so I wanted to find a yummy recipe that fits the occasion. But it has to be something healthy of course, especially because everyone in our office has been bit by the health bug – some more than others. Some of us sadly exclaim that our clothes don’t fit; we don’t understand why and we clearly have to do something about it, as we shove another cookie into our mouths. Some others of us are into counting and keeping track of calories. Calories are serious business and should be allocated wisely. Well, except on the weekend because honestly, the weekend is for relaxation and fun and calories, as I said, are serious business.

Anyhow, a healthy recipe that fits the holiday… But what exactly is healthy? It depends on who you ask. My general rule of thumb is if it’s natural, it can’t be very bad for you in moderation. And I think “moderation” is the key word just like with most things.

I came across the recipe for Valentine’s Day Strawberry Love Muffins on getmecooking.com. How cute, love muffins. And it was claimed to be a healthy recipe, too. Bingo! It’s true that I used organic raw cane sugar instead of Stevia so I am not sure how much that took away from the healthiness of it. I just prefer the natural alternative. It goes without saying that you should always try to get the good ingredients. Free range, natural eggs, organic strawberries if possible. I am not one of those people who swear that absolutely everything has to be organic but when it comes to eggs and strawberries, it really is worth getting the good stuff. The recipe also calls for coconut oil. You can substitute this with sweet cream butter if you want. Coconut oil has become really popular in the past few years both in the kitchen and used in cosmetics as well. In fact there are so many different uses for it that people talk about it as the miracle oil. I don’t doubt it that it has wonderful qualities but recently my son pointed it out to me that coconut oil actually is mostly (about 90%) saturated fat. One tablespoon of it can account for 60% of your recommended daily saturated fat consumption. That made me think since I have been using coconut oil for cooking and always used it generously. There are many arguments pro and con coconut oil and of course not all saturated fats have been created equal but it is worth doing your own research. I guess “in moderation” works for coconut oil as well.

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. You can use non-stick muffin tins or add liners. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the flour (except the two tablespoons) baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.

3. Using a mixer, cream coconut oil and stevia (or raw sugar) together until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the whole egg then the egg whites, one at a time, until well mixed. Drop the speed down to low and gently stir in the lemon juice.

4. Keeping the speed on low, slowly add the flour mixture then a bit of the yogurt, alternating between the two, until the mixture is just incorporated. BE SURE NOT TO OVER MIX. These muffins are dense enough as it is!

5. Coat the strawberries in the remaining 2 tbsp of flour then gently mix the berries into the batter. NOTE: THIS BATTER IS SUPER THICK. THAT’S HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE.

6. Using a large cookie scoop or a large spoon, scoop the batter into the tins so they are about 90% full. These should yield about 18.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy! Make sure to share the love with friends, family, and coworkers as well!